WELCOME TO SPACE TO GROUND, I’M ISIDRO REYNA.
THIS WEEK, THE SCIENCE CONTINUES ONBOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
THE ASTROBEE PROJECT TEAM CONDUCTED A REMOTE
SCIENCE SESSION DURING THE CORONAVIRUS SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER.
ASTROBEES ARE NEXT-GENERATION FREE-FLYING ROBOTS
THAT OPERATE IN THE INTERIOR OF THE SPACE STATION.
THEIR PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE
A FLEXIBLE PLATFORM FOR RESEARCH ON
ZERO-GRAVITY FREE-FLYING ROBOTICS,
ABLE TO HOST A WIDE VARIETY OF PAYLOADS AND SOFTWARE.
THE TEAM COMMMANDED ASTROBEE REMOTELY FROM
AN INDIVIDUAL TEAM MEMBER’S HOME VERSUS
THE USUAL PROCEDURE FROM AMES RESEARCH CENTER.
THE CREW WORKED ON THE
MANUFACTURING FIBER OPTIC CABLE IN MICROGRAVITY
OR SPACE FIBERS EXPERIMENT, WHICH EVALUATES
A METHOD FOR PRODUCING FIBER OPTIC CABLE IN SPACE.
MANUFACTURING FIBER OPTIC MATERIALS IN SPACE
HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE A HIGHER-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT,
OFFERING DRAMATICALLY LOWER TRANSMISSION LOSSES.
THIS COULD SET THE STAGE FOR IMPROVED IMAGING,
REMOTE SENSING AND NEXT-GENERATION OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS ON EARTH.
AS WE PREPARE TO USHER IN A NEW ERA OF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT ON MAY 27,
NASA AND SPACEX ARE GEARING UP FOR THE FIRST
OPERATIONAL CREWED FLIGHT OF CREW DRAGON.
THE SPACEX TEAM COMPLETED A STATIC FIRE TEST
OF FALCON NINE’S SECOND STAGE ENGINE,
WHICH WILL PROPEL CREW DRAGON TOWARD THE SPACE STATION.
ADDITIONALLY, NASA HAS ASSIGNED ASTRONAUT SHANNON WALKER
TO THE FIRST OPERATIONAL CREWED FLIGHT OF CREW DRAGON.
WALKER WILL JOIN NASA ASTRONAUTS
MICHAEL HOPKINS AND VICTOR GLOVER JR.,
AS WELL AS SOICHI NOGUCHI OF THE JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY
FOR A SIX-MONTH EXPEDITION ABOARD THE ORBITING LABORATORY.
THE CREW-1 MISSION WILL BE THE FIRST IN A SERIES
OF REGULAR, ROTATIONAL FLIGHTS TO THE STATION FOLLOWING THE DEMO-2 MISSION,
WHICH WILL BE THE FINAL MAJOR STEP BEFORE
NASA’S COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM CERTIFIES CREW DRAGON FOR OPERATIONAL,
LONG-DURATION MISSIONS TO THE SPACE STATION.
KEEP SENDING IN YOUR QUESTIONS USING THE HASHTAG “ASK NASA.”
WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.